Chapter 55: Chapter 55 She Smiles Like a Little Angel
In response to the question, the young woman, Li Sili, didn’t answer. She probably had some unspeakable secret that was difficult to disclose.
Sun Dasheng also felt he had been somewhat abrupt. Asking such a question so suddenly was a bit like prying. All in all, it wasn’t very polite.
"My apologies. If you don’t want to answer, you don’t have to," he said.
"It’s okay, Uncle. It’s not a secret or anything. I just didn’t know how to answer you for a moment," Li Sili said, returning to her usual optimistic self. Her tone had a touch of ease to it as well.
"It’s a long story. Do you have the patience to hear it all?" Li Sili asked.
"Since you’re willing to tell me, I’m all ears," Sun Dasheng replied.
He had always been quite curious about the young woman, Li Sili. This was the person who had brought him the system, yet she seemed to be shrouded in mystery. Though she always had a smile on her face, he felt she was hiding something in her heart.
"Actually, I’m not the biological child of my parents," Li Sili dropped a bombshell right from the start.
He was somewhat astonished. Such a good-natured girl was actually...
"Uncle, there’s no need to look at me with pity. Though I’m not their birth child, they raised me as if I were their own and even sent me to school. To me, they may not be my biological parents, but they’re better than my birth parents could ever be. When I start earning money, I’m going to repay them for everything."
Li Sili spoke of her past lightly, as if she were talking about someone else entirely.
"It’s often said that the grace of raising a child is greater than that of giving birth. You’re doing the right thing," Sun Dasheng affirmed.
"What about your original parents?" he couldn’t help but ask.
"I don’t know. They might have died somewhere by now," Li Sili said this with a smile.
Okay, so there’s some resentment there. That’s normal; it’s only human. Anyone abandoned by their birth parents as a child would feel this way.
"I heard from the villagers that I had an older brother, but he drowned while playing in the river when he was little. After that, my guilt-ridden parents never had another child, until they found me."
As she spoke of the brother she had never met, a trace of sadness crossed her face. In the countryside, you would hear about one or two such accidents every year, mostly during the summer holidays.
So that’s how it is. No wonder her family, who live in the countryside, only had one daughter. And no wonder she’s so set on making a lot of money to repay her parents.
...
Soon, the HR manager arrived with three contracts. Fang Sihan and Yun Yuqing also entered one after the other. After reviewing the new contracts, both young women were practically jumping with joy.
The signing went smoothly; after all, the terms were highly favorable to them. Only a fool wouldn’t sign immediately.
After signing, their guaranteed monthly salary for the first month was deposited into their accounts. With the New Year approaching, this advance on their wages would let them celebrate happily.
System Panel
Supporting Character: Li Sili
Occupation: Internet Celebrity
Bond Value: 81
...
Supporting Character: Yun Yuqing
Occupation: Actress
Bond Value: 62
...
Fang Sihan’s Bond Value had also increased to 60 points.
Just enough to bind.
Bind.
And here she was, the fifth supporting character.
Supporting Character: Fang Sihan
Occupation: Actress
Bond Value: 60
Experience Points: 0
Once the contracts were signed, the HR manager left, leaving the three young women alone in the office. Sun Dasheng ordered a drink for each of them. Soon, his secretary brought in their coffee and departed.
Sitting on the plush sofa, Fang Sihan took a sip of coffee before flopping down comfortably. She sighed, "Uncle’s place is so much more comfortable. These past two days of filming have nearly killed me."
A system message popped up immediately.
[Fang Sihan’s first experience in the workplace was not pleasant. The high-intensity, 16-hour-a-day shoots were even more grueling than the infamous 996 work schedule. Experience Points +1,000]
Oho, I just bound her and she’s already sending me experience points. Fantastic!
He clicked ’Convert’.
[Experience points converted. You have received +600.]
He withdrew it to his personal account.
DING!
He checked the text from his bank. A deposit of 42 million. Combined with his previous balance, his personal savings had once again broken through another small goal.
Yun Yuqing, however, sat there quietly sipping her coffee without adding a word. Nor did she seem to be sending any experience points.
Looks like this girl has a high tolerance for hardship.
"If you’re tired, rest here for a while. I’ll have a word with your supervisor, Sun Dacheng, and ask him to arrange the filming schedule more reasonably. If you keep up this intense pace, it would be a huge loss if you collapsed from exhaustion before the short film is even finished."
He then made a call to Sun Dacheng. On the phone, Sun Dacheng beat his chest and promised that from now on, they would only shoot for eight hours a day and there would be absolutely no overtime.
After hanging up, he had an epiphany. No wonder his cousin became such a big boss. His own perspective was too small. He was still thinking along the old lines: squeeze every last drop out of the junior employees. Could you really get rich off the scraps you squeezed out of them? Shallow, far too shallow. He needed to learn from Director Sun, who gave his employees great care, the best benefits, and the most generous rewards. What employee wouldn’t bleed for a company like that in return? Yes! It must be the selfless dedication of countless employees that built his cousin’s vast empire. He had seen the light. In the future, when he started his own business, he too would be a ’kind’ capitalist.
Sun Dasheng had no idea his cousin was practicing the Evil-Repelling Swordsmanship backward, already going mad with skewed logic. But even if he knew, he would just laugh it off. Start a business? Start my ass. Those who learn from me prosper; those who imitate me die. Without a cheat system like mine, playing this game is a one-way ticket to ruin.
"Uncle, that’s not necessary, really. Just having the opportunity to act is lucky enough for us acting students. What does it matter if the shoots are a bit long? Many of our seniors went through the same thing. We’re not delicate flowers that can’t handle a little wind and rain."
Yun Yuqing sat there with a calm and composed demeanor, speaking in an unhurried manner.
Her words were beautifully spoken, but why did they seem tinged with a subtle, cloying sweetness?
Fang Sihan huffed unhappily. "Do you think I said all that just for myself? I wonder who’s been hiding under the covers and crying every night."
"You..." Yun Yuqing flushed with angry embarrassment, as if her little secret had been exposed.
What a rare sight. This is getting interesting!
Seeing her two friends bickering, Li Sili stepped in to make peace. "Alright, that’s enough from both of you. Si Han wasn’t just complaining for herself, and Yu Qing just doesn’t want to be underestimated or called a delicate greenhouse flower who can’t handle hardship. Everyone’s intentions were good."
"If there’s anyone to blame for this, it’s Uncle."
"Oh? How am I involved?" Sun Dasheng asked in surprise.
Li Sili winked at him playfully, signaling him to play along.
Catching on, he immediately changed his tune. "Indeed, the blame is on me. I didn’t instruct my staff properly, which led to the predicament of you having to work 16 hours a day. With workdays that long, forget about delicate young women like you; even a strong man like me couldn’t handle it."
"See? That’s more like it. It’s all Uncle’s fault, so you two stop arguing." As she spoke, she stood between them, took both of their hands, placed them together, and said with a smile, "With the misunderstanding resolved, you’re back to being good sisters who can huddle under the same blanket."
Sun Dasheng was momentarily stunned. She smiled like a little angel.